Recently, I had the pleasure of reading "The Truth of Zeng Guofan" by the famous contemporary writer Mr. Luo Shixian (1940-2014).
Through the latitude of time and space, we look back at the ups and downs of the late Qing Dynasty, and we can see how Zeng Guofan rose in the turbulent political arena. His wisdom and vision are not only a product of his time, but also a valuable asset to the insights we have in today's workplace. Zeng Guofan's body gathered thousands of ups and downs, and with his unique ability to connect people's hearts, he climbed to a very high position in officialdom, and finally became a symbol of wisdom of the times, and gained widespread belief in history. I summarize Tsang Kwok Fan's "universal formula" as follows: honesty as the foundation, respect as the criterion of mutual interaction, justice to ensure the fairness of every action, and empowerment as the driving force to improve the ability of individuals and teams. In this formula, integrity cultivates trust, respect promotes understanding, fairness enhances credibility, and empowerment stimulates potential, jointly building a strong influence and cohesion, so that people's hearts can be enveloped, and the team can be closely united, even in the face of various challenges and changes in the current situation, it can also resolve the crisis and create a new situation. Today, taking the recent "small composition" turmoil caused by Dong Yuhui of the Oriental Retort Company as an example, the dismissal of the company's CEO Sun Dongxu, the public apology of Chairman Yu Minhong, and the promotion of Dong Yuhui himself from anchor to senior partner and vice president A series of treacherous changes all reflect the complexity of workplace management and human understanding. On the other hand, looking at Zeng Guofan's practical experience, we can understand his management wisdom and profound grasp of human nature that transcend the times and still have practical guiding significance, which provides a non-negligible reference value for the complex situation of the modern workplace.
In the midst of the constant turmoil of business, the strategies and ideas in Zeng Guofan's "Universal Formula" give us inspiration, telling us how to sail in the tide of the workplace, and how to find the subtle point of balancing people's hearts and performance in the art of management. The truth of his story has been transformed into an enduring management philosophy, providing inspiration and guidance for the modern workplace elite who seek to survive in turmoil and develop in competition. As Zeng Guofan's truth shows, he not only showed unparalleled talent on the battlefield, but also demonstrated extraordinary wisdom in people's heart strategy. He selflessly shared the spoils of war "the glory of that decisive victory" with his comrades-in-arms, Hu Linyi and Dolonga, and in doing so, he set the benchmark for excellence as a leader. This not only boosted their morale, but also built a dam of unity in that turbulent era, making them more indestructible in the face of difficulties. The reason why Zeng Guofan has become a model in history is not only because of his military achievements, but also because he knows how to combine love and wisdom in the game of power, and strategy and benevolence go hand in hand, thus creating a stable and harmonious system of merit of the Hunan army. His "universal formula" approach has pushed the art of leadership to a whole new level. At this point, does the performance of each party in the Dong Yuhui incident that we have observed reveal similar hints?When the enterprise is in the whirlpool and the top management is facing the severe test of the public, whether the unity and cooperation within an organization and the role of the leader are key are particularly prominent. The various initiatives of Oriental Retort show that in the face of the public relations crisis, it is crucial for an organization to quickly adjust its structure, how to communicate and collaborate within the team to ensure the company's stable operation and image recovery.
Drawing on the wisdom of Tsang's "one-size-fits-all formula," leaders in the modern workplace should adopt a similar strategy, recruiting and empowering talented individuals to reach their full talent and potential. In the process of Yu Minhong's public apology for his earlier mistakes, we witnessed the sense of responsibility and courage of a leader. As the news of Dong's promotion took center stage, the public debate turned to how to properly recognise the contributions of employees and their potential value. At the same time, Sun Dongxu's dismissal sparked a discussion about the leader's personal qualities and corporate cultural values. In this series of events, leaders are faced with a balance of motivation and responsibility, talent and morality, and a delicate but critical balance between shaping corporate culture, boosting team morale, and maintaining organizational harmony. Combined with Zeng Guofan's proper encouragement and affirmation of talents in the truth, and then look at the countermeasures and choices in this incident, we will understand that grasping people's hearts is not a rigid model, but an art that needs to be constantly adjusted. Management must be fair in evaluating the team's achievements and ensure that team members are recognized and rewarded for their hard work. In the face of a critical crisis, a leader's ability to communicate openly, react quickly, and coordinate internally and externally is fundamental to ensuring the maturity and sustainability of the organization.
In the ever-changing and challenging world of the workplace, Tsang's "one-size-fits-all formula" is still invaluable, reminding us that the values of integrity, respect, fairness and empowerment will not be lost by the changing times, and that they are the pillars that win hearts and minds and unite the team. At the same time, the events of contemporary companies are a profound footnote to the complex battlefield of the modern workplace, highlighting the indispensability of leadership excellence in our time.
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In the end, drawing on the wisdom of Tsang Guofan's truth and the insights of modern social practice, we can transform people's hearts into the art of building trust, the group into an invincible force, and the crisis into an opportunity to move forward in this workplace that is both full of opportunities and challenges, and create a new realm of the workplace together.